Perpetual status cycle wheel



PERPETUAL STATUS CYCLE WHEEL Filed June 1l, 1945 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Feb., 7, 395@ .1.J. PHlLLxPs 4959490 PERPETUAL STATUS CYCLE WHEEL Filed June 11, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 7, 1950 U Nl TED S T'ATLES PAT 'EN T 0F FICE PERPETUAL STATUS vCYCLE WHEEL .Joseph `J.Pl1illips, Orland Park, lIll.

Application Junell'l, 19`45,SerialrNo. 598,821

Claims This invention relates to a newand improved perpetual 'status cycle wheel and has vfor one of its Hprincipal (objects the "provision of .means for determining upon visual inspection the status of an lobject orthelikeat any time "from receipt of requirement for the object to completion of the finished object or `the like.

`It is an important object of this invention to provide a device 'Ifor use particularly in shops, ofiices, and factories which will instantaneously Igive information as tothe timeremaining to .complete a job Vor the time past dueffor completing a job. Shops'oi'all descriptions work on .the principle 01 a'written order for each job which .they receive. These rorders are preferably-on cardsso that they lmay be readily /led However, the regular'ling of these cards in a drawer orcabinet does not permit visual periodic inspection without considerable nuisance, and even then it is impractical to have a card le so arranged that it would `beable'to indicate the time required to do a certainvjob and also whether or not the `:job was completedwithin the allotted time.

Another important object of this invention is to provide ajob card ling device Whichwill permit movement of all the cards as a unit, one unit per each 'oneunit of time, such as a day, week, or month. It is "to be understood that the word cardincludescards,sheets, envelopes or anyother articlewhichmay be led.

A-'further important object of the invention is the `provision vof 'circular concentric ling spaces movable together and having stationary members adjacent the `inner and 'outer portions of the .circular concentric `i'lling spaces in order to receive legends 'indicative kof the time allotted and required Vfor objects lin process of completion.

A still further important *objectof this invention `isfthe lprovision of aiiling device having a stationary supporting structure and a rotatable member journaled onsaid structure and 'having circumferentially arranged ile pockets open at one 'axial face.

Other and further important 'objects will be come apparent v'from 'the'disclosures in the fcllowinasp'ecication 'and 'accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan vi'ew'of the perpetual status cycle wheel of this invention; and

'Figure 2 isa sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

As shown .in the drawings:

`Referencenumera'l ITU indicatesfgenerally'a 'circular base .or iframe :supporting structure -carrying a ilxedshaft IIon1which-isjournaled aro- 2 tatablestructure or cycle wheel lf2. "The cycle wheel l2 has a sleeve I3 journaled vfor rotation on the shaft 'I`I. 'Ilhebodypor'tion of the wheel I2 consists of Vseries of concentric card .hdlding chambers arranged circumferentially, fthe .outer annular'series `of lwhich is indicated 'by 'the .nu-l meral `If4 "and the inner annular series of Which. is indicated'by the numeral 'I 5. Theseinner and outer series or annularly arrangedpockets Il .and I5 `are open at one axial face and .are .closed lat, their rearby a disk-likeback .member 't6 having an outer annular "flange 'l'l Welded `to .the outer edge thereof and the flangeipor'tion extend-v ing outwardly away "from the back ID. A con centric flange '1"8 is welded to the 'back plate I5 o around an annular circumference.spa'cedinward- 1y from the outer l'flange Il. vThe 'outer-annular series of pockets 'I4 is defined by 'the "ilanges Il and iI8 'and the 'pockets themselves .are Aformed within this annular space by a series o'f spacers I 9. 'These spacers I 9 may be of any materialbut are preferably wood and are retained in .position bysmallnails I9. v'lhepock'cts .I'4 and thespacers I9 :are regularly 'and alternately spaced around this 'annular 'space defined bythe `flanges I'I and i' spacers couldloeincrea'sed -or decreased and also member 'IB islikewise'welded .toithe'sleeve lf3 and' that'the spacers inth'e wheel could bereplaced'by various sized spacers tolget a'greater or less number of pockets.

-A second disk member 20 `parallel to the disk forms )the 'back plate'for 'the inner `annular series of chambers I5. 'The outer'periphery'ofithis disk 20 'is `welded to the inner yside 'of the annular flange I8. 'A'third'concentric annular flange-2l l is :welded 'to the Ydisk `member 20 and is spaced inwardly from theflange IJ8,a distance approximately vequal Vto the `distance*betweenztheilanges Il and I8. *Similarly'to'the `annular space'dened bythe flanges AI-`I and lfthisinner annular y f space'denedby the flanges Lllt) 'and 2| "is divided It :should be realized "that the size o'f the wheel is `held in journaled .position on the 'shaft The back support I is equipped with an annular ange 25 which is spaced outwardly from and concentric to the outer ange I1 for the cycle wheel I2. This outer flange 25 is fastened to the back support I0 by means of screws or the like 26. A face comprising a circular ilat strip 21 is welded perpendicularly to the flange 25 at the edge opposite` they back support I0. The outer face 21 and the inner face or disk 23 are designed to receive legends, such as dates opposite each pocket I4 or I5 as the case may be. Opposite each pocket I4 is a number and, as shown in the drawing, these numbers range from 0 to 29 with one number adjacent each pocket or card receiving slot.

If, for example, a shop receives an order for so many pieces of a finished product which ordinarily requires seventeen days to complete, then thel clerk in charge of records will make out a card which includes the necessary indicia regarding the order and the card will also contain the number of days, weeks or months alloted for the completion of the job. This number, of course, must be determined by past records of similar jobs and will probably be an average arrived at by production charts now in general use. The clerk lwill then take this card and insert it into one of the pockets I4 which is opposite the numeral 17 and is indicated in the drawing at the letter A. The job is then started on its route through the shop. The component parts of the product are made by the severaldepartments and ordinarily no one is constantly advised regarding the date of eX- pected completion of the job until the job is actually nished. However, in the present system, it is possible for the shop clerk to maintain visual production control with the aid of this cycle wheel. At the end of each day, or other period such as a week, or a month, the shop clerk or other attendant will manually rotate the cycle wheel on its spindle II so that the pocket A originally opposite the number 17 will, at the end of one day, be opposite the number 16 and likewise at the end of seven days will be opposite the number and so on until this pocket A arrives at the position opposite the number 0. In order to rotate the cycle wheel I2 a retractable locking pin 28 is pulled outwardly by a knob 29 against the action of a spring 30, tending to normally push the locking pin radially inwardly towards the center of the cycle wheel I2. As shown in both of. the gures of the drawings, the spacer members I9 are equipped with sockets in the form of holes 3I for the reception of the locking pin 28. This locking pin 2B is preferably positioned at the bottom of the cycle wheel and is mounted on the outer flange 25 in a casing 32 welded to the flange 25. The attendant moving the cycle wheel will retract the pin 28 by the knob 29 and will instigate rotation of the cycle wheel I2 in the direction indicated by the arrow 33. Immediately after the wheel is started, the locking pin is released and hence it is permitted to spring into the socket 3| in the succeeding spacer I9. This assures that the wheel will be moved only one pocket at a time. A card B is shown in dot-dash lines in one of the pockets I4 which is opposite the numeral 0 on the outer face 21. In order that the card may not proceed beyond the number 0, and thus pass around the cycle wheel twice, a stop member 34 is extended from the outer face 21 inwardly to a point just short of the ange I8, as shown in both of the figures of the drawing. This stop member 34 is in the form of a finger and is attached to the outer face 21 by means of a bolt or the like 35. The cards employed in this device are of such a size that they project beyond the surface of the pockets I4 as dened by the stationary face 21. It is obvious that when the card extends out from the pocket, as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings, it may not pass the stop iinger 34 Without causing bending or mutilating of the card. The numerals on the outer yface 21 indicate the days or other periods of time ahead of assigned completion date or, in other words, the number of days ahead of the date when the job should be completed. Hence, when the cards, and their may be any number of these cards traveling around the cycle, will at the same time reach the pocket opposite the number 0 then the job should be completed. However, if the job is not finished, the cards in this last pocket are then moved to the inner portion vof the cycle wheel I 2 and into the one of the pockets I5 designated by the letter C. It will be noted that a number is placed opposite each of these card compartments I5 on the inner disk 23, as indicated in Figure l of the drawings. These numbers run consecutively from 1 to 30 and run in a clockwise direction which distinguishes from the counter-clockwise direction of the numbers on the outer face 21. The numbers on the disk 23 indicate days or other periods of time behind the date when the job should have been completed. After the cards have been removed from the outer pockets I4 to pocket C of the inner series of pockets I5, the cycle wheel continues to be moved one pocket every day or other desired unit of time. Hence on continued clockwise rotation of the cycle wheel I2, as indicated by the arrow 33, the number of days behind will successively increase rather than decrease as did the days ahead of schedule in the outer series of pockets I4. The placing of the numbers on the stationary plates 21 and 23 in opposite directions permits the rotation of the unitary cycle wheel in one direction for accomplishing the two purposes.

It is apparent that this cycle wheel may be used in any one of a number of different adaptations in addition to the job card adaptation as indicated. Further the wheel may be hung on a wall in a vertical position or may be set on some horizontal table support.` Employment of this cycle wheel permits visual inspection of all cards to determine the status thereof and any card that is in the days behind series of pockets I5 should be pulled out and investigated quite frequently in order to determine why the job has not been completed in the allotted time. Whereas, if the card is in the days ahead of schedule, then there is probably not much interest in investigating the progress of this job. It is to be understood, of course, that as the job is completed, the card is removed from the cycle wheel.

Numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein, and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A card ling device comprising a frame structure, a wheel journaled for rotation on said frame structure, a pair of concentric series of card pockets in one face of said wheel, a stationary dial positioned adjacent the outer periphery of the outer series of pockets, a second stationary dial positioned adjacent the innerperiphery of the being suiiiciently shallow so that cards filed therein will project beyond the surface of the wheel, and a card stop linger attached to the outer stationary dial and extending radially inwardly across only the outer series of pockets, whereby cards in the outer pockets may not pass this stop finger.

2. A card filing device comprising a frame structure, a wheel j ournaled for rotation on said frame structure, a pair of concentric series of card pockets in one face of said wheel, said wheel having apertures alternately of each pocket in the outer series, a stationary dial positioned adjacent the outer periphery of the outer series of pockets, a second stationary dial positioned adjacent the inner periphery of the inner series of pockets, both of said stationary dials carried by said frame structure, said pockets being sufiiciently shallow so that cards iiled therein will project beyond the surface of the wheel, a card stop iinger attached to the outer stationary dial and extending radially inwardly across only the outer series of pockets, whereby cards in the outer pockets may not pass this stop ringer, and a retractible locking pin in the frame support adapted to engage the apertures alternately of each pocket, whereby the wheel may be rotated in one pocket intervals.

3. In a status cycle wheel comprising a circular base, an annular flange attached to the outer periphery of said circular base, an outwardly extending rim on the end of said iiange, a shaft attached centrally of said circular base and extending in the same direction as the annular flange, a disc fixed to the outer end of said shaft, a sleeve journaled for rotation on said shaft, structural means mounted on said sleeve forming a pair of annular series of concentric pockets opening in the direction of the Outer rim and disc, consecutive numbers on said outer rim one adjacent each pocket in the outer of the pair of annular series, consecutive numbers on said disc one adjacent each pocket in the inner of the pair of annular series, whereby rotation of said sleeve and structural means will automatically decrease the number adjacent a pocket in the outer series and will increase the number adjacent a pocket in the inner series, and a nger attached to said outer rim and projecting inwardly across an outer of the pair of annular series of pockets, whereby cards of a size greater than the depth of the pockets cannot pass the finger on rotation of sleeve and structural means.

4. In a status cycle wheel comprising a circular base, an annular iiange attached to the outer periphery of said circular base, an outwardly extending rim on the end of said flange, a shaft attached centrally of said circular base and extending in the same direction as the annular flange, a disc xed to the outer end of said shaft,

a sleeve journaled for rotation on said shaft, 6

and will increase the number adjacent a pocket in the inner series, a finger attached to said outer rim and projecting inwardly across an outer of the pair of annular series of pockets, whereby cards of a size greater than the depth of the pockets cannot pass the finger on rotation of leeve and structural means, said structural means having an aperture intermediate each of the pockets in the outer series on the outer periphery thereof, and retractible pin means on said annular flange for engaging any one of said apertures, whereby the sleeve and its attached structural means may be rotated and locked in one pocket intervals.

5. A card filing device comprising a frame, a. rotatable member journaled on said frame, said rotatable member having a plurality of circumferentially arranged iile pockets for containing work to be given consideration at a specied time, said pockets being open at one axial face, a stationary structure for carrying series of index marks adjacent the rotatable member mounted on said frame, an index means on said structure indicating a zero position and time interval, one series of index marks corresponding in circumferential spacing to the spacing of the le pockets and being numbered numerically and consecutively from said zero point in one angular direction, another series of index marks corresponding in circumferential spacing to the spacing of the file pockets and being numbered numerically and consecutively from said zero position in the opposite angular direction, said rotatable member being rotated during use of the device the angular distance of one pocket for a unit time, the index numbers in the one angular direction serving as indicators to show the number of units of time before a pocket adjacent to a number at any given time will reach the zero position, the index numbers in the opposite angular direction serving as indicators to show the number of units of time elapsed since a. pocket adjacent to a number at any given time has passed the zero position, and a iile card stopping means attached to said frame and extending between two adjacent le pockets to prevent rotation of said rotatable member when le cards are positioned in one of the pockets adjacent the stopping means.

JOSEPH J. PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 823,202 Boye June 12, 1906 875,366 Moore Dec. 31, 1907 936,287 Antilotti Oct. 12, 1909 1,032,111 Caverly July 9, 1912 1,275,655 Boye Aug. 13, 1918 1,281,380 Ise Oct. 15, 1918 1,531,358 Thompson et al Mar. 31, 1925 2,168,323 Bruen Aug. 8, 1939 2,314,705 Johnson Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 752,581 France 1933 

